Next week's Digital Swiss 5 race will feature a host of top names, including Olympic road race champion Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team), road race world champion Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), 2019 Vuelta a España winner Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma), and Tour de France sensation Julien Alaphilippe (Detuninck-Quick Step), among a stellar lineup of 19 teams.

In all, 19 teams will participate in five races over five days beginning Wednesday, April 22. Sponsored by Véron, the Tour de Suisse, and Louvi, the indoor platform used by the riders, the races will feature three riders from each team, with each team able to change its lineup each day.

Other notable athletes jumping into the digital fray in the Swiss race include Remco Evenpoel and Sam Bennett of Dečuninck Quickstep, Romain Bardet of AG2R La Mondiale, Wout Poels of Bahrain McLaren, Bora Hansgrohe's Emanuel Buchmann and Max Schachmann, Simon Clark of EF Pro Cycling, among others; Stephan Kung of Gulpama-FDJ; Andre Greipel and Dan Martin of Israel Startup Nation; Tim Wellens of Lot Sowdal, Esteban Chaves of Mitchelton-Scott, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Ben King of NTT Pro Cycling, George Bennett of Jumbo-Visma, Giulio Ciccone of Trek-Segafredo, and Wilco Kelderman of Team Sunweb.

"It's a new type of race for me, very different from anything I've done before. But I know the set-up is very good and it's great to be able to race at this difficult time of the year and to be able to concentrate and test my conditions," said Alaphilippe. I hope the fans enjoy these few days of tough racing."

The Levi's platform will use real video footage and riders will be represented by avatars in team kits. The race route is a mix of flat, hilly, and mountainous terrain, culled from the Tour de Suisse parcours.

Van Avermaat became a fan of virtual racing after winning the virtual Tour de Flanders earlier this month.

"Virtual racing is certainly not easy," said the Olympic champion. 'The races may be much shorter than regular races, but the effort is more intense and the chances of making a difference in tactics are smaller.'

"I'm glad that while we're not racing on the road, the fans get to see something. 'I think it's important for everybody. Not only does it entertain the fans, but it motivates the riders and is a chance for the teams to showcase their sponsors. Next week we have some tough races coming up and we will do everything we can to get another win."

Boasson Hagen said the entire NTT Pro Cycling team is excited about the 32-year-old Norwegian's first virtual race opportunity.

"It's nice to have a goal at this time of year when I can't race on the road," he said. I've spent a lot of time on my home trainer in training, but this is the first time I've used it in a race." It's going to be an exciting race for all the fans. It's great for the sponsors and for us riders. It's going to be a very hard race, so it should be fun."

Although Pedersen did not have the championship season in rainbow stripes that he envisioned after winning the World Championship road race in Yorkshire last September, he will get a chance to race in his jersey next week, even if it is from the comfort of his living room at home. Next week, he will have the chance to race in his jersey, even if it is from the comfort of his own living room.

"I don't usually like to spend time in my home trainer, but right now I'm enjoying it, especially with the race so close. 'It's really nice to be able to compete with each other and find different solutions to this difficult situation we're all in. I think it's great that we can race while staying close to each other. So I'm really looking forward to racing hard and getting my heart rate up again."